


What It Means to Fall In Love

by anothersilentwriter



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, I counted, Katara is her own character, No I do not like the Ember Island Kiss, Soulmate AU, Soulmates, Stubborn Katara (Avatar), This is rated G, Toph wins money, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, and they aren't bad ones either, but there are three curse words, frienship, only the Southern WaterTribe has soulmates, why? because plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:47:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24533299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anothersilentwriter/pseuds/anothersilentwriter
Summary: Soulmates aren't simple, the spirits enjoyed playing tricks on the humans. They liked to confuse them, and make them struggle. Sometimes who you think you are supposed to be with isn't the one you are linked to. That is why soul marks aren't simple either.Katara thinks the Avatar might be her soulmate, but she isn't in love yet. She keeps trying to tell herself she has time to fall in love, but it gets harder and harder each time. It takes a while for her to realize the truth of her situation.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 46
Kudos: 646





	What It Means to Fall In Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



Soulmates aren't simple, the spirits enjoyed playing tricks on the humans. They liked to confuse them, and make them struggle. Sometimes who you think you are supposed to be with isn't the one you are linked to. That is why soul marks aren't simple either. 

"You get one when you meet them for the first time," Her mother whispered to her at night, showing her the marks on her shoulder. "A line that starts the path and shows that you are meant to be." 

"What are the next marks?" Katara asks, tracing the line on her mom's shoulder. 

"The next one is when you understand each other for the first time. " Kya said, "When you see each other at their worst or best." 

"Then?" 

"Then comes the symbol, both of you will have a symbol that represents your love." Kya pointed to the sea-wolf symbol on her skin. "And finally, the words they say when you realize you are in love with them." 

Even though her mother didn't show it to her, Katara knows that on her back there is a quote written in her father's handwriting on her back. She was always enthralled about the stories of soulmates, some people had one, and others had two. Her mother showed her marks in the comfort of the igloo, and her father never missed the opportunity to share the love of his wife to his children. 

It was beautiful in Katara's eyes and her four-year-old mind never got tired about hearing the legends her tribe held of soulmates. But that was the thing, it was only the Southern Water Tribe that held these marks. It was one of the reason's why she loved her tribe, they were blessed by the spirits and able to see what held people together. Soul marks were part of her culture, and from a young age, she always loved her culture. 

She couldn't wait to see what symbol she and her soulmate would share. 

~0~

She found the line on her shoulder the day the boy broke out of the iceberg and the prince of fire attacked her village. She never knew how much she could hate another human being until he threatened to destroy what was left of the small village and take away the new friend she just made. It didn’t matter though, she got her first soul mark. It was on her right shoulder, one thick black line. Today she had met her soulmate. 

The Airbender boy. 

She thought she would have been happier, or she would have felt something more. But maybe she was just overthinking this. She _had_ time. He was young and so was he, there was no rush. He probably didn't even know. 

She looked at Aang and smiled at him. 

His bright eyes met hers, and he smiled back. 

She has time to fall in love.

~o~

Aunt Wu says that she will marry a powerful bender, and it makes Katara feel better. The Avatar is a powerful bender, and she knows that he is her soulmate. 

Still, something doesn't feel right. 

But she has time to fall in love.

~o~

She gets her next mark after the cave. 

Her heart hurts from spending so much time with the Fire Prince, she's angry. Angry that he hurt Aang, angry that he hurt her. He tricked her, made use of her compassion, and then turned it against her. He betrayed her. 

She's never been hurt like that before. 

It wasn't like when her mother died when she was sad. No, this is rage- anger. She's upset with the prince. The thought of him made her blood boil and her stomach clench. 

It is a picture of the sun and the moon, with lightning flashing in between them. 

She doesn't quite understand her mark, but she thinks she knows why she got it. She brought Aang back to life. That was his worst point, but she doesn't think that he understood her. She has still yet to feel anything for her soulmate, but she still has time. It doesn't make sense, but the spirits are weird and complicated. 

She still has time to fall in love.

~o~

Aang kisses her at the invasion, and she feels nothing but disgust. It isn't right, none of it is right. She loves him, but it is like a brother. 

But he has to be her soulmate, he _has_ to be. 

~o~

The Fire Prince comes back, and the rage in her blood comes back. He hurt her, he made a fool out of her. She threatens to kill him, tell him that if he hurts Aang, she'll kill him. She tries to ignore how his eyes soften at her words. 

She treats him horribly, each word towards him comes out like poison, it hurts to say them to him. She waits for him to betray her, she's constantly on edge. 

She doesn't trust him, she can't. 

~o~

Zuko takes her to find the man that killed her mother, and while she contemplated taking a life he stood there behind her supportively. Even though she didn't know it then, it meant a lot to her. 

That night he asks her, why she wears to sleeve on her arm. She doesn't really know how to answer. She and Sokka both cover their right shoulder, hiding their soul marks. Sokka hid him because Yue's symbol was still there, the sign of the moon spirit and it hurt him. She covered hers because, well she didn't know. 

But she wasn't sure if the other nations knew about the Southern Water Tribe's soul marks. 

"Do you know about soulmates?" She asks, and he nods at her. Goldeyes alight in the flame. 

"Your culture," He begins, "Rumour has it that you guys get soul marks, right?" 

She nods, a small smile forming on her lips. "It is my soul marks." 

He smiles, and she's surprised by his curiosity. "I didn't know they were real. Uncle always talked about it, but I never knew. " 

"They are real." 

"So I'm assuming you've met your soulmate?" He asks, pointing at the sleave. 

Her smile falters as she thinks about her soulmate, Aang is her soulmate and she hasn't told him. She hasn't told anybody for that matter. "Yeah," She answers, a bitter tone seeping into her words. "I have." 

He notices the change in her mood. "Something wrong?" 

_Yes_ , she thinks, _I know my soulmate but I don't love him, at least not the right way._ She's grown up thinking about her soulmate, her mother used to tell her stories about how wonderful it is to be married to her father what it was like for the two them. Her Gran-Gran despite not having a soul mark, would tell Katara the myths and legends surrounding the culture of the Southern Water Tribe and the different stories of soul mates in the past. Even Sokka, whose soul had become a spirit had revealed to Katara how wonderful it was. 

She knows that it is possible to love somebody who isn't her soulmate, she knows that it can be done and it has been done. She thinks about Sokka and Suki, how happy and in love they are. She's happy for them, proud even, proud of the fact that her brother is doing well without a soulmate. 

She just always thought she would love her soulmate.

When she doesn't answer he looks concerned, body turning to give her all his attention. "Katara," He says, "Talk to me." 

She sighs, she has nothing to lose. "I don't think I love my soulmate." 

"But aren't soulmates people that you-" 

"Love?" She finishes and lays down on the grass by Appa not really caring that the ground is a little bit damp, or that Zuko is still sitting up. She doesn't have the energy to even sit up properly so she might as well lie down. "Yeah, I thought that too." 

She closes her eyes, "It just doesn't feel right." 

She hears the sound of a body moving to lie down on the ground near her, and suddenly the air around her feels warmer. "Do you know who he is?" 

She opens her right eye to stare at him, "How do you know it is a he?" She questions, she's raising a brow even though he can't see it. "Are you really going to assume what I like?" 

It is funny when he stutters and tries to make up for it. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed. I just thought that you would have liked guys. I didn't know...Shit, I'm sorry Katara I didn't know that you liked girls." 

"I don't." She says, interrupting him, "Like girls for that matter." She clarifies. 

"Then why did you do that then?" She can't tell from the lighting or the angle, but she thinks that he is blushing. 

"It was funny." 

"It was not funny!" He declares, his temper flaring slightly. "I thought I offended you." 

She's giggling and she can't help herself. It is so weird how she went from hating him and giving Zuko death threats to suddenly talking about soulmates and giggling in the grass together. She takes a few seconds to bring her breathing back to normal, and during those seconds Zuko asks his next question. 

"Who is he?" 

She can't help it, she turns to her side facing away from Zuko. While she knows she can have a conversation with him, she doesn't know if she can look him in the eye and say the words she is going to say. 

"Aang." She answers, she hates how disappointed her voice sounds, how bitter and unhappy. "My soulmate is Aang." 

He's silent, the air around her grows cooler and she thinks he might be thinking up his next question. 

"How do you know?" He asks, his voice low. "Are you sure it is him?" 

And so she tells him the story, from how on the day she met Aang she got her first mark, to Aunt Wu's prediction, to her saving Aang and getting her second mark. She explains how she feels and how it doesn't feel right. Aang doesn't know that he is her soulmate, she doesn't want to tell him, quite honestly she doesn't even want to admit it to herself anymore. 

Zuko listens intently while she talks, only asking small questions in-between explanations. She likes that. She hates herself for being rude to him earlier, she won't say that he didn't deserve her initial hatred of him (she has too much pride for that) but she can admit that he is a changed person. He doesn't force her to change the story because it doesn't fit his perspective, he doesn't question her opinion, challenge her views in the world.

He just listens.

"I just don't love him," She finishes, "Or not the way I'm supposed to." 

"I don't know what to say," He says, "I wish I knew, but I don't know how to help you. I'm sorry." 

Somehow she managed to turn herself around to face him, and there is a feeling in the pit of her stomach that she doesn't quite understand as she looks into his eyes. "Yeah, I'm sorry too." 

~o~

Ember Island players leave her angry, confused, and hurt. She stands up as soon as the play goes for a break, she follows the moon that calls to her and looks out at the water. She wants to leave, the play it makes her feel weird and she doesn't like weird. 

And she really doesn't like the looks Aang is giving her. 

What hurts the most is that she thinks she should. 

She thinks about the ocean, how easy it would be to just walk towards the water. If she could swim in the waves and float, let the water surround her. If she closes her eyes and be one with her element and forget about the mess that has become her life or the mess that has become Aang's life. 

It has become clear to her that this is not her story. It is not the story of Katara the Last Southern Waterbender, the girl who found the Avatar and mastered her element. This is not her story where she raises kids at an age too young or leaves everything she knew behind to fight a war that she wants to end. This is not the story of a girl who tries her best to bring people hope and keep them safe. 

No, this is Aang's story. 

And according to the play, she is just the Avatar's girl, and she thinks that according to Aang she might just be his girl too. 

She doesn't like that. 

"Katara," his voice startles her, and she sees it what she has been expecting, what she has been dreading and ignoring. "Is what they said in the play true?" 

She steps away from the Avatar, he is five feet away but that is still too close for her. "I-" 

_He doesn't even let her finish her sentence._ "Is Zuko really your soulmate?" 

There is a hatred she doesn't recognize in her voice when he says that sentence. Sweet, innocent, little, Aang is asking that question as if Zuko has become his enemy again. She doesn’t like that Aang is asking the question, doesn’t like his tone of voice, doesn’t like what it means, and she knows now that she doesn’t like _him_ that way. She’s not sure how long she can keep telling herself that she has time to fall in love.

“No.”

“Then who is?” He pressures her, and she looks directly into his eyes. Grey eyes. She tries to imagine herself spending the rest of her life with him, however long or short it may be. She tries to see herself with a future she wants but she doesn’t see it. She sees Aang as her best friend, the one she will come to laugh with and smile. But she also sees Aang like her son, she feeds him, takes care of him, mends his clothes, teaches him the differences between right or wrong at times- she even grounds him when he gets in trouble! “Who is your soulmate?”

 _You_ , she wants to say, _it’s you but I don’t want it to be_.

“Why does it matter?” The words are sharp and meant to hurt, and she steps even farther away from him. “My love life is none of your business!”

And he has the audacity to look upset. “It is if it’s me Katara!” He shouts at her, “Your supposed to be my forever girl! Katara, I- I need to know, I- I love you!”

It takes a few seconds for the words to sink in.

It doesn’t sound right, the words don’t feel right.

She isn’t quite sure how to tell him that at this point she doesn’t care if he loves her or that she doesn’t love him, and damn the whole soul mate and soul marks this can’t be her life! But the look in her eyes, the look of a boy who has to save the world and sees her as a beacon of hope and she realizes that for now, she has to bite her tongue and swallow her pride. She doesn’t like the taste, but she will do what she has to do for the sake of the world.

With a few deep breathes, and forcing her face into a mask of calm she finally gets some words out. “Aang, I think I’m just confused.”

She turns to walk away.

He grabs her hand _and_ –

His lips are on hers and the taste of her pride threatens to come out of her mouth in the form of vomit.

If she was annoyed and disappointed in him before she is downright mad, “I said that I was confused, Aang, not that I wanted you to kiss me!”

She knows that maybe she had this coming, but he had no right. “When a girl wants you to kiss her she will let you know and nowhere-“ her words now hold a strength they didn’t before, “ _nowhere_ , did I tell you that I wanted that.”

He regrets it, she can tell but she also knows that he doesn’t understand the mistake he made. “I just thought- Katara, I’m sorry! I only thought that if I kissed you then maybe-“

She does not wait to listen to his apologies, or what he thought, or what he was thinking, or how he had no idea. She doesn’t want to hear it. Katara walks toward the ocean, going farther and farther away from the theater. Her footsteps seem to echo underneath her, she didn’t know when she started running but once her brain registers it she forces her feet to move faster, and faster. Her calves are burning and they start to scream with every other step she takes, her knees feel weak and threaten to wobble underneath her but she keeps moving.

Past the Firelord’s beach house, past the courtyard, and straight to the beach.

 _This is impulsive and stupid_ , she tells herself as she strips down to her wraps, _impulsive and stupid and dumb_. But one look at Yue up in the sky and she tells herself that she doesn’t give a damn. She lifts her arms in the air and the water comes and swallows her into its cool clutches. It is pitch black but she lets the ocean take her farther away from the shore, deeper and deeper until she can no longer stand.

She looks up at Yue as she sculls, feet kicking in circular motions below her to keep her afloat. “Why Yue?” She asks as the white light touches her skin. “Why don’t I love him that way?”

She tells herself that she didn’t cry, that it was just the salt from the water reaching her eyes.

The waves rose and fell at her command. She made whirlpools to match the confusion inside her. She created ice daggers that she shot into the sky to prove to herself that she was still something. She bent the ocean to her emotions, every single one of them.

Waves, whirlpools, daggers, and ice.

“Why Yue?” She cries, “Why is _he_ my soulmate?”

She feels stupid. Katara is a master waterbender, the only female master waterbender and she is crying over a boy. But this boy was supposed to be her soulmate, and soulmates were some of the last remaining parts of her dying culture and she- she just wanted to preserve that too. She lost so much, her tribe lost so much and for her to not love her soul mate….it feels like she is losing pieces of her heritage too.

She stares at the moon one last time and starts heading back. She doesn’t bother using her bending, kicking, and pulling all the way back. Her arms hurt and her legs burn, but she doesn’t care.

Aang is there waiting for her at the beach, she can see the faint silhouette from the distance. When she gets to the shore she immediately turns her back to the boy. “I don’t want to talk to you Aang.” She dismisses him immediately, “I don’t want your apologies or explanations.”

She doesn’t hear the sound of footsteps walking away from her, of course, he doesn’t give her space. She should have known that he wouldn’t walk away from her, and she feels that righteous rage form in her chest and for the first time, she doesn’t care that Aang is the Avatar.

She’s bending a water whip and turning around on her heel, ready to release her fury at the boy and-

“I’m not Aang,” Zuko says, he doesn’t move, doesn’t even flinch at the string of water that is in her hands. His face is a marble mask of calm. “And I’m not here to give you apologies or explanations.”

She drops the water. “Oh. I just assumed…I wasn’t thinking and I-I’m sorry. I’ll leave.”

She begins to walk away and head back to the beach house. Zuko doesn’t stop her, his footsteps fall in line with hers. He doesn’t block her path or grabs her hand to stop her from leaving. He just simply asks if she needs somebody to talk to.

And she-

She’s crying again.

She’s falling to the ground.

She’s letting him hug her.

He’s angry, she can tell by how much warmer he is. He’s gripping her tighter than he would normally, holding onto her tighter as if she was grounding him to the ground. He’s angry, but he is also controlling himself. He doesn’t lash out at her or force his feelings onto her.

He helps calm her down, and she tries her best to help calm him down. Telling him that she is okay, that she will be okay. It does not change the fact that she dreads seeing Aang later, but Zuko helps by swapping stories of his childhood with her stories of being a kid raised in ice and snow.

At the end of the night, she’s staring at her soul marks in her room under the light of the fool moon. Tracing the lines marked into her skin. She can’t quite place it but something in her stomach feels settled, the oceans of anger inside her haven’t been tames but they feel more at peace than they have been in a long time.

~o~

Aang apologizes to her again, and while she doesn’t think she is ready to accept it she knows that their friendship is still strong no matter what.

~o~

Sokka and Suki act like a couple all the time, and while the jealousy in her heart still hits her it is now more like a prick than a stab. She’s always been proud of her brother, even if she won’t always admit it, but she is truly happy for him.

~o~

She trains with Zuko by her side. Water and Fire intertwining in a dance that people have not seen in a hundred years. He teaches her how to make dragons from water and she shows him how to make waves of fire.

They spar and swap techniques and styles, working together in a harmony that even the Avatar can’t begin to understand.

~o~

Aang runs away and everything begins to fall apart. Before Katara knows it they are heading to find Zuko’s uncle. She is there for him when he is scared of confronting the only father figure in his life, and she holds his hand and tells him that he will forgive him, because if she could forgive him then anybody could.

He comes out of the tent with tears down his face and the biggest gosh darn smile she has ever seen.

~o~

He is dying.

He is on the ground, twitching like a fish out of the water trying to flop its way back into the sea, only there is no sea to return to and he is not a fish that belongs to water. He is the Prince of Fire and he is dying from his own element.

She can’t believe it.

Just moments ago there were clashes of blue and orange, a painting made of flame where each punch and kick was another aggressive brushstroke against the somber colored sky. He could not be dying.

She feels the rage fuel her veins, and for a moment she wonders if maybe she is a firebender and this is the effect of the comet. But as soon as her true element comes to her call she remembers what she really is.

Azula falls.

Howling and crying.

Cursing and screaming.

 _Shattered_.

Katara scrambles to Zuko, healing gloves made of cold water reach the burnt flesh that is exposed from his shattered tunic. He’s mumbling incoherently, and Katara wonders how someone so beautiful could become a messed up painting made of blood and scars.

She can’t describe the relief she feels when she hears him say the words. “Thank you, Katara.”

Tears falling to the ground, and one hand gripping his for dear life. “I should be the one thanking you.”

Even though this would have been a good time as any for Katara to get it through her thick skull that she loves Zuko, this is not it. The girl was never good at realizing things right in front of her. It took her a little while longer.

~o~

She finally figures it out two days after when she wakes up in bed next to him (she refused to leave his side, and Zuko wanted her to remain close to him at all times in this familiar but also strange palace so it worked out pretty well) and she catches sight of her tattoos in the reflection of the mirror after another healing session.

The line on her shoulder she received when she found Aang, but also the day that Zuko came into her village. 

The sun and the moon that is etched onto her skin, with the bolt of lightning between them. It was a strange sort of irony and foreshadowing but looking back on it there was a reason why she loathed Zuko so much after that day. The betrayal had to hurt for a reason, and she thinks- she thinks she knows why now.

She looks at his scar.

And remembers all he has done for her.

“It’s you.” She whispers in a state of shock, the water falling on Zuko’s face because of it. “It’s you Zuko.”

She doesn’t have to explain what exactly it is that she figured out to him because he already knows. He knows and he understands, and she is so stupid and-

He grabs her hand and there is some unspoken agreement when she lets her lips meet his. She can’t believe how dumb she was, how ignorant but she’s a stubborn soul and that will never change. When he pulls away Katara can already feel the words permanently etching onto her back. A warm feeling as the words leaves his lips.

“I love you,” he says.

“I can’t believe it took me this long.”

He smiles, “I can, your stubborn and you hated me for a while, so I get it.”

She would slap him, but he is injured and she can’t move because she is in shock from emotions.

“Are you mad?” He asks, “That I’m your, your-“ he can’t say the word, “ya know?”

“I just kissed you, and I’m going to do it again so I hope that lets you know that I’m not mad that you are my soulmate.”

It would be cliché to say that everything fell into place right after, but for Katara, it all made sense now.

.

.

.

.

.

“Hand it over Snoozles! Give me my money, I told you so!” Toph screamed, cackling with laughter. “He’s her soulmate and I knew it!”

“Listen, the bet wasn’t that serious, to begin with so let's just forget about all of this and-“

“Can it! You thought it was TwinkleToes and I said it was Sparky, and now I was right so hand over those coins, or you will be buried sixteen and a half feet deep under the Fire Nation palace that it will take badger moles to find you.”

Needless to say, Toph left the room with a large bag of coins that she and Iroh will be spending on the wedding.

**Author's Note:**

> The beginning of this was on my laptop for a long time and I found it and spent the past two weeks on and off finishing it. Also, it is gifted to the very kind Zeta Rambler. Hope you enjoyed my spin on soulmates and soulmarks.


End file.
